A state at spiritual crossroads

Naveen S Garewal

Haryana has not seen any year pass by peacefully under the current BJP rule. Just like the two previous years that saw unprecedented incidents of violence and arson, 2017 will go down in the annals of Haryana’s history as a blot on the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government. The Dera violence in August claimed over 40 lives across the state and private and public property worth crores was damaged, which is the highest ever recorded in the states.

Repeated failure of the state police, which is directly under Khattar as he holds the Home portfolio, has left a lot to be desired in terms of good governance and safety of the people. Implementation of the RSS agenda, by terming it as governance, has led to several aberrations in the social fabric of Haryana, where barring the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, it  was largely known to be a peaceful state. Consequently, many foreign investors, who had shown keen interest in the state, have eventually shied away.

Surprisingly, three years after being in power, the state government organised a ‘Chintan Shivar’ in the Himalayan foothills for the chief minister to reveal his vision for development of the state and to evolve a strategy to implement his vision. So far the government has only focused on the RSS agenda that talks of gai (cow), Bhagavad Gita and rediscovery of river Saraswati. The activity of self-styled cow vigilantes is on the rise while the state has not implemented any recommendation of the Haryana Governance Reforms Authority (HGRA).

However, the new transfer policy for teachers in schools needs to be appreciated. This has made the system transparent and thus corruption free. Teachers are required to give their preference for postings and the draws are then taken out by a computer. Though, the system was implemented to settle political scores, it has worked out well for the state’s education system.

Fortis fiasco 

Fortis hospital suffered a major setback after stories of Gurugram Fortis charging Rs 16 lakh for the treatment of dengue, surfaced online. It was not just the cost, but the fact that Adya, a seven-year-old girl, died of dengue shock syndrome, raised questions about the ethics of private healthcare players. The hospital was pulled up by Union Health Minister JP Nadda for grossly overcharging and negligence. The hospital raised an absurd bill that included a charge for using over 2,000 gloves. The hospital was booked for culpable homicide. The health department asked Haryana Urban Development Authority to cancel the lease of land to Fortis hospital in Gurugram due to alleged violations of agreement.

Junaid lynching case

Khandawali village’s 17-year-old Junaid Khan was stabbed to death in a Delhi-Mathura train by a group of men after an argument over seat sharing turned ugly. His attackers allegedly mocked the victim, tugged at his beard and accused the 15-year-old of being a beef eater. Minutes later, they threw him out of the train at Asaoti station, where Junaid bled to death in the lap of his brother. The police was able to arrest the main accused only after 16 days, but, within a month, he was granted bail and Section 34 (common intention) was dropped as a charge. The railway police said that it was not established how the knife used to kill the victim got inside train and if the victim was stabbed in self defence. The kin of the victim are demanding a CBI probe into the incident that is widely seen as a hate crime, rather than an act of rage.

International Gita Jayanti celebrations

Gita Jayanti celebrations at Kurukshetra brought President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to Haryana. People were also pleasantly surprised to see the newly crowned Miss World Manushi Chillar, a Haryanavi, at the International Gita Mahotsav. Making the best use of the occasion, the Chief Minister ML Khattar also announced support for the social initiative — Shakti. Helmed by Manushi, the project promotes personal hygiene among women.

Ram Rahim and Dera violence

The most significant event in the state was the culmination of the long-drawn case in the CBI court at Panchkula that convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of raping two of his disciples. Just as he was sentenced to imprisonment for 20 years, it led to unprecedented violence by his supporters in Panchkula and Sirsa that left 42 people dead and several others injured.

Cow vigilantism

Pehlu Khan, a 55-year-old dairy farmer, was waylaid by self-styled cow vigilantes in April near Alwar when he was transporting cows. He was accused of smuggling cows. Over a 100 people watched him being beaten, while some made videos instead of helping him. He died of injuries two days later. Several protests were held in Mewat but the voice of the people to reign in right-wing vigilante groups fell on deaf years.

Murder in a school

The murder of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur in the toilet of Ryan International School, Bhondsi, in September, triggered a national debate on security in schools. It also put Gurugram police to shame for making a hasty arrest of school bus conductor as the accused. The case was handed over to CBI, which, after investigations, arrested a Class XI student for the murder to defer exams.

Jats agitate

Jat quota agitation, which claimed 23 lives in February 2016, resurfaced in 2017 with the All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS), led by Yashpal Malik, organising dharnas across the state, demanding release of those arrested for last year’s violence. While the success of the agitation established Malik as an undisputed quota leader among Jats, it left the government red faced.